1970s: My childhood sweetheart ran away, and I turned around and married the wildest chief.

This is a place she passes through on her way to work, so she wants to try it first. If it's good, she'll have another option for breakfast in the future.

The girl didn't have a ticket; she had given all the tickets she earned from work to her family. But she still had some money, so she paid 25 cents for two meat buns.

Once someone started, things went much more smoothly afterward. Some people had tickets, some didn't, but people kept buying them one after another, all benefiting from the good seats. Everyone passes by here every day on their way to work or school, and when they saw that a steamed bun shop had opened, they all wanted to try it. If it was good, they would be prepared to buy it in the future.

This was only the first day, and many people didn't know that breakfast was sold here. They ate at home before coming out. Even so, by around eight o'clock, all three hundred buns had been sold out.

It went so smoothly that even Li Dongmei could hardly believe it.

After closing the shop, the two hurried to the main courtyard to count the money.

The two of them counted together, counting three times in total, before they were sure.

"48 yuan, Mom! It's only been one morning and we've already made 48 yuan. How much did we cost?" Li Dongmei's breathing became rapid.

Miao Cuiying was also very excited. She didn't expect that money in Beijing was so easy to make. "The cost is about one-third. I weighed the flour and it was only about 30 jin. There are still some vegetables and pork left. Ten yuan is enough."

Li Dongmei felt like her brain couldn't keep up. "So...so...how much did we earn this morning?"

Miao Cuiying: "A little over thirty dollars, at least thirty-two."

"Thirty-two..." Li Dongmei murmured, feeling as if her perception had been reshaped. Thirty-two yuan, that's how much many workers earn in a month, and they earned that much in just one morning.

Li Dongmei grabbed Miao Cuiying's hand. "Mom, I'll definitely work hard. I don't think we sold enough today. Let's prepare more tomorrow. The more people know there's a steamed bun shop here, the more we'll sell. Tomorrow... shall we prepare five hundred tomorrow?"

Seeing her daughter-in-law so happy, Miao Cuiying smiled and said, "Okay, we'll make five hundred tomorrow. But Dongmei, these costs don't include our labor or rent. The reason the buns are selling so well is mainly because of our good location."

Miao Cuiying glanced at the large courtyard in front of her. "This courtyard is so big, the houses are well preserved, and the location is so good. People from our street and the surrounding alleys pass by here on their way to work. The bus stop is right at the door. When many people come to catch the bus, they see that we sell food here, so they come over and buy one or two so they won't miss the bus. If a shop like this were rented at the market price, the rent would definitely not be cheap."

After calming down and thinking about it, Li Dongmei realized that her mother-in-law was right.

"That's right, the location is fantastic. We don't have to worry about foot traffic at all. My sister-in-law probably spent a lot of money to buy this yard. It's not good for us to live here long-term. How about... we pay rent?"

Miao Cuiying thought about it and realized that Qiao Wanqing might have brought them into the city to promote them. She came from a good family and marrying into the Lu family was considered a step down. Now that they had returned to the capital, which was where the Qiao family lived, it wouldn't look good if her in-laws were too poor. So she was looking for an opportunity to promote them so that it would look better for her in the future.

And most importantly, Qiao Wanqing probably also wanted to make money.

With five children in the family, expenses will only increase. This is Beijing, where prices are high. Her family is also here, so there will be frequent visits and gift exchanges during holidays, all of which will cost money.

With so many children, Qiao Wanqing won't be able to go out to work for a while. Lu Mingzhou's salary alone is definitely enough to live on, but how does it compare to her family's?

And what about that wealthy maternal grandfather's family?

So, she needs money. She's been married for several years now, and her dowry will eventually run out. She can't keep relying on her family for support, right? So, she'll take it from her husband's family?

But if her husband's family isn't wealthy enough, they can't give her much. What if her husband's family is wealthy enough?

That solves the problem, doesn't it?

So she looked for an opportunity to bring them to the capital to make money. With her husband's family becoming wealthy, they could also help her out.

Miao Cuiying thought that although she wasn't sure if it was definitely this, it was still very likely. So she said to Li Dongmei, "Dongmei, if we continue doing this long-term, we will definitely have to pay rent. Your sister-in-law must have spent a lot of money when she bought this courtyard. With so many houses, if she doesn't let us live here, she can rent them out to several other families. The shops in front can also be rented out separately. This is a considerable income every year."

"She's helping you in the short term, so whether or not she pays rent is irrelevant, but she definitely has to pay in the long term."

Li Dongmei strongly agreed, "We definitely have to give it to her; we can't just occupy her house."

Miao Cuiying: "The fourth brother's family has many children and high expenses, especially in their circle. Their expenses are something we can't even imagine. Wanwan's family is well-off, and maintaining various relationships will cost money in the future. I guess the fourth brother's salary will definitely not be enough, and Wanwan will need to earn money."

"She can still live on her family's subsidies and her dowry for a while, but eventually it will all run out. She can't always rely on her family. She's married into our Lu family now, we're all family, and we should help each other."

"This shop is in such a good location. If it makes a lot of money in the future, give some more to your younger brother and sister-in-law. That way, you can maintain a good relationship. Your sister-in-law's family is so powerful, and the fourth brother is in that position. They will definitely be able to get better projects in the future. A breakfast shop is nothing compared to this."

Miao Cuiying held Li Dongmei's hand and carefully instructed her, "Dongmei, the prerequisite for investment is having money. Without money, everything is in vain. Lao Si definitely needs money, so if this store can succeed in the future, give Lao Si's family more money. With money, they can get better projects, and all of you brothers and sisters can benefit."

"Work hard. Besides steamed buns, you can also sell eggs, steamed dumplings, steamed bread, vegetable pancakes, and the like for breakfast. If business is good, we can add more gradually. If you can't handle the workload, I'll quit my job back home and come help you. If you make money, I'll share more with your younger siblings so they can go and do bigger projects."

"Now that they're rich, they can just give you some money that would be enough for an ordinary person to live on for half a lifetime."

Li Dongmei understood what her mother-in-law meant. She didn't think there was anything wrong with it. They came to Beijing with the help of others. The fourth son's family needed money, but they didn't have time to earn it. In fact, at that level, it wouldn't be respectable for them to start their own business. It wouldn't sound good to others either.

But she's okay, they can do it!

"Mom, I understand, I'll definitely do my best!"

All she has to do is drink a sip of soup.

Qiao Wanqing didn't know what Miao Cuiying was thinking, nor did she care. The location was so good that she could make money doing anything. Miao Cuiying had worked at the supply and marketing cooperative for so many years; there was no reason why she couldn't solve this problem.